The Freshmen
by Call-Me-Crazy.Cuz I Am
Summary: The Astael Academy has been corrupted, becoming the background for cruelty and betrayal and ruthlessness. With the freshman class come Jeni, the scholarship student, Rachel, the introverted bookworm, and Kory, the innocent dreamer. At first, these girls share only a dorm- but soon, they share secrets and loves and tragedy that leaves scars that last a lifetime. S/R R/B J/KF.
1. The Freshmen

**A.N. Aloha! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own 'The Freshmen', Teen Titans, or virtually anything you recognize. Righteous.**

**_The_**_** Freshmen **_

_For the life of me I cannot remember  
What made us think that we were wise and we'd never compromise  
For the life of me I cannot believe we'd ever die for these sins  
**We were merely freshmen.** _

**_*O*_**

_The Astael Academy for Young Adults has seen its fair share of change. _

_Founded in 1874, it has seen two World Wars, four bombings, three power-hungry dictators, 331 teen pregnancies, and still it stands. _

_Headmasters have come and gone, teachers have lived and died, students have loved and experienced, and still it stands. _

_No, the Academy is no stranger to change. _

_But a different sort of change has come to the Academy- one that is not pleasant or peaceful. _

_Now, only the cutthroat survive at the Academy, and those who can't take the heat are soon burned beyond recognition. School politics are razor-edged and used as blades against rivals or anyone daring to challenge the way of living._

_This is a dangerous time at the Academy, a time when alliances are made and disaster lurks behind every gilded corner. _

***O* **

Jennifer Jina Hall pulled her suitcases behind her as she exited the taxi, throwing a crumpled twenty at the cabbie as she slammed the door.

With a fierce tug, she set her worn suitcase rolling and stalked down the cobble path towards the hulking main building.

Students frantically searching for their dorms parted as she stalked past, partly because it was obvious she was pissed and partly because she simply looked intimidating. With neon pink hair yanked up into a messy, spikey bun, her jean shorts slung low on her hips, and her jacket-and-shirt combo, she looked dangerous. Combined with the furious glint in her eyes, it was enough to make anyone duck for cover.

Yanking the door open when she reached it, she stalked into the office and collapsed into a chair near the front desk. Burying her face in her hands, she gave a long, drawn out sigh.

"Rough day?" A teasing male voice said from next to her.

"You have _absofreakin'loutley_ no idea how- wait, who in the name of all things punk rock are you?" Jeni snapped, looking at the stranger from between her hands.

He smirked slightly and his blue eyes twinkled. "Wally West, at your service."

"Ohmigod, you're _Wally West_?" Jeni adopted a tone of awe. "_Wally West_ is sitting next to me?"

"In the flesh." Wally tilted his head to the side. "You've heard of me?"

"Nope." Jeni smiled brightly. "Now go away."

"I didn't think so." Wally continued, ignoring her last command. "I usually try to keep a low profile everywhere but the track."

"Oh?" Jeni looked at him sideways. "What are you, some kind of jock?"

"Nope." Wally grinned at her. "Just an overly-confident track star with a 4.0 and succulent good looks."

"Not a good enough reason to use the adjective 'succulent'."

Wally sighed mournfully. "There never is. C'mon, I'll walk you to your dorm." Jeni began to glare at him but stopped when she noticed a thin webbing if pale white scars reaching up his arm and disappearing into his shirtsleeve.

"I don't have my freakin' dorm number yet, stupid. "

"Again with the violence, child. I'm sure that can't be good for the soul." Wally stood and sauntered over to the front desk, pushing aside a few smaller students in his path. Running his fingers through his red hair, he beamed at the secretary manning the desk and said something that made the old woman laugh and blush.

Five minutes later, he returned with her dorm key and her schedule.

Jeni raised an eyebrow as he lead her out the door and down yet another cobblestone road. "Can you do that?"

"What, charm stuff out of people?" Wally snorted. " 'Course. I'm a junior- half the time they just give me what I want. And when they don't, well, people who can't manipulate others don't make it very long at the Academy."

"That how you got your scars?" Jeni motioned at the marks. "Manipulating people?"

Wally chuckled humorlessly. "You noticed those? Nope. I got the scars for...let's call it disrupting the peace."

"Really? Righteous."

"Yeah, well." Wally rubbed the back of his head. "Being different isn't really...welcomed at the Academy. Best way to survive is to disappear."

***O* **

Kory Anders squealed as she entered her dorm. It didn't take a lot to make Kory squeal- in fact, she did it quite often, to the severe annoyance of her dorm mate, Rachel. They'd roomed since seventh grade, with another girl called Anna, who, after a showdown with Kitten Travoni that left her covered in emotional and physical bruises, had tearfully left the Academy.

They'd have a new dorm mate now, Kory thought as she clutched Rachel to her in exhilaration.

"You're disturbing my peace, Kory."

Rachel muttered, hugging her excited friend back anyway.

"I am sorry, Friend Rachel," Kory said, beaming, her French accent slipping through her speech. "But eet ees just so exciting! We survived anuzzer year!"

"Only because we faded into the background like good little mindless school girls." Rachel huffed. "You've got mail, by the way."

Kory beamed once more and bounded over to the desk, eagerly opening the letter with the Academy seal that waited for her.

Within seconds after reading it, she was reduced to tears.

_Miss Anders: _

_We are pleased to inform you that due to your excellent performance in Advanced Trigonometry you have been selected as a tutor for a group of struggling younger students. You will be meeting twice a week, Mondays and Fridays. You will be joined in this endeavor by Mr. Richard Grayson. _

_Best wishes, _

_Administration._

Rachel snatched the letter from her crying friend and speed read it, turning red with indignation as she finished.

"They're saddling you with Grayson?" She hissed. "Even after last year?"

Kory nodded and groaned. "I swore to never even look at him again ! 'Ow can I eegnore 'im if zey make me do zis?"

Rachel patted Kory's hair comfortingly. "It won't be so bad, K, I bet he doesn't even remember."

Kory glared. "I pledged my love for 'im. In front of ze eentire student body. I'm sure 'e remembers- 'e rejected me, after all!"

"Well, if it makes you feel any better," Rachel began, "I'm still running the library with that nitwit Gar."

"At leest he likes you!" Kory wailed. "Mon dieu, this will be the worst year!"

Rachel opened her mouth to reply just as the door opened and Jeni and Wally entered.

"You must be Jennifer's dorm mates!" Wally cried enthusiastically. "Take care of my future wife, okay?"

"That is so not happening." Jeni swung her suitcase on the empty bed near her. "Guys like you don't go for girls like me."

"Dude! I'm a Blink-182 fan, you're a Blink-182 fan, and we're going to have Blink-182-loving children. It's just going to happen."

Jeni glared at him. "You can go now."

"See you tonight, Jin," Wally winked at her, ignoring her glare as he walked, whistling, away.

"'E totally likes you!" Kori exclaimed as soon as the door was safety closed.

"Not for long. Scholarship students and track stars don't mix." Jeni stuck out her hand. "I'm Jennifer Hall. Call me anything but Jeni and I will murder you in your sleep."

"I am Kory Anders, Friend Jeni!" Kory wiped away her tears with a friendly, if watery, smile. "And thees eez Friend Rachel Roth!"

"Cool. What's up with the tears?" Jeni flopped on her bed and lazily flicked at her suitcase.

"Weel..." Kory faltered.

"Kory fell in love with a dude named Richard Grayson, she told him, he rejected her in front of everybody, and now the Academy's making her tutor snot-nosed seventh graders with him. " Rachel said flatly.

Jeni winced. "Damn. Well, that sucks."

"Eet does the suck quite a lot." Kori vigorously agreed. "Jeni, are you going to meet zis Wally at ze bonfire tonight?"

"Bonfire?"

"The welcome back bonfire?" Rachel snorted. "It's full of illiterate females with boobs bigger than their IQs getting wasted and acting like bimbos in front of idiotic males."

"Sounds like fun." Jeni rolled over on the bed and buried her head in the pillow. "You going?"

"Of course!" Kory beamed again. "Eet eez the only time I can see my friends in different dorms!"

"Then I guess I can make an appearance." Jeni shrugs. "Can't be that bad."

"With West after you?" Rachel snorts. "Oh, yes it can."

***O* **

_**Next Chapter: **_

_Jeni gasped as the blonde girl tossed the bag and the sketchbook into the bonfire, smirking viciously as she did so. _

_"What the hell!" She bellowed. "Why'd you- those are mine!" _

_"Correction: They're ash." the blonde girl smiled patronizingly. "Trash, just like you." _

_"Jeni!" She heard Wally's voice in the distance. _

_"This the Academy, kid." The blonde girl shook her head. "It's a kill or be killed world- live with it or get the hell out." _


	2. Feeling This

**A.N. Hey! **

**First off, I want to thank everybody who reviewed, followed, or favorited: Prodigy-14, Randiceluvr26, gabylokita14, juliananorena10, poison innocence, pyrogirl23, ttcouplesluvver, writinglovinglaughingliving, BlueReader, purplepox63010, Dark Hamee, Guest, Juleptree, and Guest. You guys really made my month :D! **

**Second, I just need to say that you'll probably want to listen to 'Feeling This' by Blink-182 while you read the middle...I'm pretty sure the story gives away when a good time to press play would be. In case you couldn't tell, I'm a big Blink-182 fan, and that's my favorite song, and it's pretty much the Flinx theme for this story so I couldn't help but use it for the bonfire. **

**ENJOY! **

_**The Freshmen. **_

_***O* **_

_This place was never the same again_  
_After you came and went_  
_How can you say you meant anything different_  
_To anyone standing alone _  
_On the street with a cigarette_  
_On the first night we met_

_Look to the past_  
_And remember and smile._  
_And maybe tonight_  
_I can breathe for awhile._  
_I'm not in the scene_  
_I think I'm fallin' asleep_  
_But then all that it means is _  
_I'll always be dreaming of you._

***O***

Rachel pushed open the library doors with a vicious shove, making a stack of books teeter with the sheer force. Stalking in, she slammed her bag down on the table.

"Hey, Rae!" A blond head poked out from behind the comic shelf, adorned with its trademark green Yankees cap. "You will never guess what the Admiral pulled against Mega-Munchkin- hey, you okay?"

"Do I look okay, Gar?" Rachel seethed, turning towards Gar with a dangerous glint in her eyes. "Herbal tea. Now."

Gar scrambled out from the shelf and hurried towards the brewer sitting on the library desk. Through half-closed eyelids, Rachel noted that he'd grown tremendously taller over the summer; he had at least six inches on her, which was remarkable in that he'd always been on the small side. He was still wiry, with slim muscles and unruly blond hair, but he seemed more mature, different.

And then, he slammed the tea in front of her so hard drops hit the wooden table with a plop with an impish grin, and Rachel knew that he had not changed at all.

"Why aren't you at the bonfire?" He questioned, hopping up on the table and kicking his legs. "Kory's there, right?"

"Course she is," Rachel muttered, "But the sheer amount of idiocy, sexism, and big-headedness affected my air supply after a bit, so I came here."

"Well, Josh, Javier and Joaquin, Kole, Mal, and Rosa will be here in about an hour to keep me company…" Gar shrugged. "But you should stay. It'll be fun."

Rachel took a deep drink of her tea and mulled it over. Gar's friends, as eccentric and video-game obsessed as they came at the Academy, were actually pretty good company, and they were certainly better than the bonfire crowd.

But it meant she'd be alone in the library with Gar for at least an hour, and that had never worked out well for her in the past.

_Well, _She thought wryly, _it depends on your definition of 'well'. _

***O* **

Jeni winced as the sounds of wet retching reached her ears. She and Kory had entered the bonfire at around 8:00, and at 8:10 she'd already decided it was totally and utterly _not her scene_.

The music was almost illegally loud and the bass vibrated through her body with every thump of her heart, and she was seated unfortunately near the keg. Shaking her Solo cup slightly with a hand, she sighed and nudged her bag with her toe.

"Friend Jeni!" Kory appeared, flushed and bright-eyed. "Are you 'aving fun?"

"Oh, yeah." Jeni nodded vigorously. "Time of my life."

"Good!" Kory beamed. "Oh!" She waved brightly and motioned for someone to join them. "I 'ave people for you to meet!"

"Joy." Jeni deadpanned.

Kory looked at her sternly. "Zis ees not some regular private school, Jeni. Here, 'oo you know, 'oo you talk to, it adds up. You must know ze right ones, make ze right friends, before you can call yourself 'safe'."

"What _is_ this place, some kind of breeding ground for the Mafia?" Jeni asked.

"Well, the KGB would be more accurate, love, but I supposed it all adds up to the same." A girl surfaced next to Kory, with a short, layered red dress and dark hair pulled up in a twist. She smiled. "I'm Toni."

"And I'm Karen." A brown-haired girl with dark skin and eyes said, walking up to them.

"Jeni."

"Oh, we know, love." Toni grinned. "Wally 'ere's been talking about you non-stop."

"You've made quite the impression." Karen said, taking a deep swig from her cup. "He's looking for you, by the way."

"Is he really?" Jeni snorted. "Well, he won't find me."

"Wanna bet?" Hot breath on the back of Jeni's neck made her jump, and she turned to find herself looking up at the smug face of Wallace Rudolph West.

***O***

Wally took her hand and pulled her through the throngs of students until they reached the edge of the bonfire itself. It was massive, sending light through the sky and the campus. Waiting for them at the very center of the masses was a group of people Jeni could immediately pinpoint as the populars.

"WEST!" The largest of them boomed, a dark-skinned man built like a linebacker. "Who's this li'l lady?"

"You picked up a freshman, West?" A orange-haired guy called out. "You beat Richie-Rich out!"

"Richie's already got his freshman," Another spoke teasingly and adopted a high falsetto and a French accent. "Oh, Reechard, my love for 'oo- I do not know 'ow to eexpreees eet!"

"Are they talking about Kory?" Jeni asked Wally, outraged.

"Not for long." Wally glanced at her apologetically. "They're super fun to hang out with….when they're sober."

Jeni huffed. "I doubt it."

Wally ignored her. "Jeni, this is Vic, Roy, Garth, Isaiah, and Richie." Wally slipped an arm around her shoulders breezily. "They're drunk right now, so they might bite."

"Harsh, West." Carrot-top sighed. "I only bite when sufficiently aroused."

"Aw, shut up, Roy." The linebacker said. "Hey, G's back."

"And I've got drinks." A long-haired boy wearing a blue letterman's jacket strode up to them, four cups sloshing in his arms.

"Aw, thanks, G-Man." Roy grinned. "How'd you know I was getting thirsty?"

"You're already hammered, Roy, and I don't respond to G-Man. Anyone else?"

The linebacker shrugged. "What the hell. Pass me one of 'em, Garth."

Garth tossed the cup at him, smirking when he caught it easily without spilling a drop.

"Nice catch, Vic." Another one spoke from where he leaned against the bonfire's railing, the shadows hiding his face. "But let's be good lads for West's freshman."

"She's a person, Grayson, not a Barbie Doll." Wally affectionately slapped Roy upside the head as he wolf-whistled. "And she's not staying."

"You trying to find a dark corner?" He tutted. "Really, West, how indecent."

"Oh, the irony, Grayson, that you can lecture me on promiscuity."

"Careful, West, I don't think your freshman can compute words over five syllables." Roy smirked.

"'Promiscuity' has four syllables, dumbass." Jeni glared at him as she took a cup from Garth, swishing it slightly.

"Aww, is the wittle fweshman-bunny upset?" Roy pouted playfully.

In a move so slick that Jeni would remember it for years to come, Wally snatched the cup from her and with a flick of his wrist, sent it, spewing liquid, all over Roy's head. Roy swore as the rest of the group broke into guaffaws.

"Oops." Wally shrugged. "Does the wittle pussycat not wike the wain?"

***O* **

Jeni leaned her head on Wally's shoulder and took another quaff of her drink, giggling a little as she did so. "Damn, West. I gotta say, that cup thing was _nice_."

They were sitting in the only deserted area of the packed courtyard, right next to the railing on the edge of the bonfire itself.

"Dude. Get on my level." Wally smirked. "That's just the kind of s- _oh my god do you hear that?_"

"Hear what?"

"DUDE! Listen to the freakin' music!" Wally jumped up and grasped her hands firmly in his.

"What the hell are you-OHMIGOD." Jeni shrieked as the music reached her ears.

_I got no regrets right now, (I'm feeling this), the air is so cold and low (I'm feeling this)… _

"Tell me they're playing 'Feeling This' by Blink-182 right now, because if they are, I reserve the right to dance like a maniac and make out with you at random intervals."

Jeni cocked her head to the left. "It's definitely 'Feeling This'. And I'm cool with that."

"Cool with what?"

"Cool with you randomly making out with me, dipshit." Jeni grinned. "Now let's dance."

_Fate fell short this time, your smile fades in the summer, place your hand in mine, I'll leave when I wanna…. _

Jeni felt like screaming in exhilaration as she jumped around, watching Wally air guitar like a pro and scream-singing at the top of her lungs.

The music was ear-splittingly loud, but Jeni didn't care; she welcomed the rush of fearlessness and adrenaline.

She and Wally ended up singing to each other as the bridge ran, each belting out the words loudly and off key.

_I think I'm falling asleep but then all that it means is I'll always be dreaming of you. _

***O* **

It was a long time before Jeni realized that she'd left her bag by the keg.

"_I left my bag!"_ she called to him as she ran away, frantically trying to find her way back to the keg.

She pushed her way through crowds of hammered, oxen-like students until she finally reached the keg, which was dripping beer into a foamy pile under the table.

She groaned loudly when she realized that her bag wasn't there. Her books, her writings, her drawing, everything. It was in that bag.

Jeni scanned the area for it in a last-ditch effort, but it was well and truly gone.

"Jeni?" She heard Wally say cautiously from behind her.

She sniffed. "How did you get here so fast?"

"I'm a track star. Get on my level." Wally hesitantly placed a hand on her back. "What's up?"

Jeni sighed. "I left my bag here when you pulled me away to meet your terrible friends. It's gone."

"They're only jerks when they're drunk. Was there anything in the bag you can't, uh, replace?"

Jeni nodded. "It has a notebook in it. Sketches and writings and…just stuff that's important to me."

"Well, then. I guess we'll have to find it." Wally squared his shoulders.

"You really don't have to-OHMIGODTHEREITIS!"

"What?"

Jeni pointed frantically at a figure in the crowd. "That's _my_ bag!"

She ran after the figure, leaving Wally behind.

***O* **

"So," Rachel said thoughtfully, "I can use the lifepack in Level Four to defeat Rynarok?"

_Yes, but only in Sudden Death Mode or when you have the Sword of Enlightenment. _Josh signed.

The music was still shockingly loud, but, for some reason, it no longer bored into her skull like a drill. In fact, in provided a nice back drop to the intense discussion on Mega Mutants XXI going on.

"See, Rachel," Kole said sweetly, adjusting the bright pink beanie on her head, "Rynarok is meant to symbolize society's need for conformity and the harsh treatment of those who stand out, who don't fit the mold."

"Like us." Gar interjected.

"Yeah, like us." Kole nodded. "So, when you're in mutant form, and Rynarok is _kicking your butt_, and you can only use the lifepack and get the hell out of there when you're bleeding and broken, it's showing that if you're different, society will beat the crap out of you and there's absolutely nothing you can do about it until you're about to crack and then life'll throw you a bone."

Rosa nodded vigorously, while Javier and Joaquin clapped.

Rachel's eyes widened a fraction of an inch. "Well, that's certainly…..well."

***O* **

"_That's my bag_," Jeni snarled when she caught up to the offender right next to the bonfire railing.

_Why the hell did I bring it with me? _She thought desperately.

"Oh, is it?" The figure turned around, revealing straight blonde hair and doll-like features. "Sucks to suck."

_My God, _Jeni thought despairingly, _She's like a real-life Regina George! _

"Drop. The. Bag." Jeni seethed. "Now."

"Kay-kay." Jeni gasped as the blonde girl tossed the bag into the fire, smirking viciously as she did so. "Careful what you wish for, dear."

"DA FU- WHAT THE HECK?" Jeni bellowed. "Why'd you- those are mine!"

"Correction: they're ash. Trash, like you." The girl smiled patronizingly. "Aww, is the freshmen upset?"

"_Jeni!" _She heard Wally's voice in the distance.

"This is the Academy, kid." The girl shook her head. "It's a kill-or-be-killed world. Live with it or get the hell out."

"You _bitch_," Jeni growled, and she hauled off and clocked her in the face.

As if she'd summoned them, four lithe but muscular identical boys appeared, two grabbing Jeni's arms and pinning them behind her back and the other two helping up the girl.

"You pack a punch, Freshman. I'll give credit where credit is due." The girl wiped at her bleeding nose. "But you can't chose your battles, can you?"

And with that, she drew her fist back and hit Jeni directly in the nose.

Jeni gasped as pain exploded behind her eyes.

"Aw, c'mon, Freshman." The girl chuckled sadistically. "Don't tell me you're giving up already."

The next punch went to the side of Jeni's jaw, and she bit her lip so hard it bled, the red flow mingling with that of her bleeding nose.

The girl gave Jeni a swift kick to the stomach, and shook her head as Jeni's eyes widened in pain. "They just don't make 'em like they used to, do they, boys?"

Jeni noted, through her pain, that the girl's English was accented, and then she couldn't think because the girl delivered two swift kicks to her kneecaps.

Jeni couldn't help it; she shrieked.

"_Jeni!_" Wally appeared, but her eyes were blurring with the pain and the suppressed tears and she barely recognized him. 'What the hell-?"

"This your new bed warmer, West?" The girl tilted her head to the left. "She seems like your type."

Wally forced a laugh. "I haven't gotten that lucky yet, Olga."

"I'd say unlucky, personally. She's not much of a looker. " Olga took Jeni's chin in her hand and tilted her head right and left, as if judging Jeni's attractiveness. "And she has no sense of self-preservation."

"Yeah, well," Wally shrugged and slipped his hands in his pockets. "None of the new freshmen do."

"True." Olga smiled slightly, a cold, calculating smile. "I'll expect you to teach her better." She snapped her fingers at the goons holding Jeni. "Billies. Let her go."

With a rough push, they released Jeni and sent her sprawling on the concrete.

With one last cold look, Olga and her goons walked away. Wally, as soon as she was out of sight, sprang to action and lifted Jeni to her feet.

"Damn." He whispered. "She got you good. See, this is why we remain invisible."

"She deserved it." Jeni spoke through the blood. "And anyway, what was I supposed to do?"

"Lean down and take it like a whipped puppy." Wally said seriously. "You've gotta learn how to pick your battles."

"I wanna fight them all, though." Jeni said sullenly.

"Oh, you really are a freshman, aren't you?" Wally chuckled slightly, taking Jeni in his arms bridal-style when she began to stumble. "All naïve."

"I am not naïve!"

"Yes, you are, because you think that if you fight it, people will recognize you as some kind of hero or icon." He shook his head. "But they won't. If you fight it, people will call you an idiot, and when you go down, they'll pretend like they never knew you. There are no heroes here, Jeni. There's only martyrs."

***O* **

_Kory blushed furiously as Richard raised an eyebrow, staring at her quizzically. _

"_You wrote me a song?" _

"_Oh, that's not just it." Roy laughed. "Your freshman had it bad, Richie." _

"_I-Eet ees not what eet seems-" Kory stammered. _

"_You sure?" Richard asked, crossing his arms. "Because it seems like you're a bonafide stalker extraordinaire." _

***O* **

**REVIEW? Classes begin next chapter, along with tutoring for Kory and Richard :D**


	3. The Middle

**A.N. ****Isaac: Call-Me-Crazy-Cuz. I Am is currently having a mini-panic attack over the essay she has due on Wednesday, so we, the people in her head, are doing the AN! I'm Isaac, the suave, sexy, one, and CMCCIA wants to tell you all that a) I am her favorite hallucination and b) she made some SERIOUS revisions to chapIter 2 after she re-read it last night, so go back and read it over and leave a review to tell her if you like the abbreviated verison better. **

**Izzy: She'd also like you to know that ISAAC IS A TOTAL DICKHEAD AND I AM HER FAVORITE *flips hair over shoulder*. And that she wants to thank LucilleL, MaddieLove95, writinglovinglaughingliving, TooLazyForALegitUsername, guest, and omgiloveflinx, for favoriting, following, and reviewing. **

**Jay-Jay: *pops bubblegum* She also wants you to know that she doesn't own anything, because she still can't find any plutonium for her Ray Of Ownership (aka ROO) **

**Griffin: She'd also like to take this moment to say that SHE IS MISSING ONCE UPON A TIME TO WRITE THIS SO YOU BETTER REVIEW. **

***Jay-Jay and Izzy swoon over Griffin's British accent* **

**Isaac: ONWARD! **

***O* **

_Hey, you know they're all the same._  
_You know you're doing better on your own, so don't buy in._  
_Live right now._  
_Yeah, just be yourself._  
_It doesn't matter if it's good enough for someone else. _

***O***

Jeni woke up aching.

Her head ached from a vicious hangover -she couldn't remember anything before Olga beat her up-, her body ached from getting the crap kicked out of her, and all in all she felt like running something over with a bus. Repeatedly.

Preferably the annoying as hell alarm clock going off next to her.

"Freend Jeni!" Excitement bubbled in Kory's voice, which, Jeni thought ruefully, was too damn bright for six in the morning. "Please, please, please get up!"

"Eff off." Jeni rolled over and buried her head in her pillow, dirty pink strands poking out like daggers.

"You weel meess breakfast!"

"Sucks to be me. Sleeping is better."

Kory sighed loudly and pathetically, frantically buttoning up her Astael blouse. "But 'oo must! Eet ees important!"

"So is global warming but I'm not getting up for that either."

Rachel pressed two cold fingers to her temples and inwardly groaned. Shrugging on her Astael blazer, she walked over and yanked the blanket off of Jeni's body. Jeni yelped and spewed curses as the chilly morning air hit her body. "Get up." Rachel said tiredly.

Jeni glared but obeyed, and twenty minutes later the three girls left their dorm.

"What's your first period?" Rachel said suddenly as they neared the cafeteria.

"Art class, why?"

"Sit at the table nearest to the wall." Kory told her seriously. "With the artists."

Jeni cocked an eyebrow. "Seriously?"

"Do I look like I'm joking?" Rachel said, a hint of a smile at the corners of her mouth.

"You never do." Jeni smirks slightly and places her hand on the door. "Well, ladies, shall we descend into hell?"

***O***

The table nearest to the wall is nearly full when Jeni reached it. It was the loudest in the entire cafeteria, and yet it was the smallest group. There were only six people there when Jeni took a seat; two tall, redheaded boys that were obviously twins, a dark haired girl with a tattoo lacing up her arm and around her neck, another blonde boy who practically exuded energy, a blue-haired boy with a piano repertoire book open in his lap, and a brown-haired girl calmly eating her oatmeal.

"Well, hel-_lo_," One of the twins said, checking her out. "Who're you?"

"Jeni." She said shortly, stabbing at her waffles with her fork. "Who're you?"

"I'm Hugh Grant." He pointed at himself. "That's Quincy Grant- he's my twin and he's very nearly too gay to be a man." He pointed at the boy next to him.

"Your dickhead is showing, Hughie." The dark-haired girl threw a pen at him.

"That charming sugar queen is Miss Agatha DiMuro- I'm keeping this pen, by the way, Aggie dear." Hugh wagged the pen at Aggie gloatingly.

"You can keep it in your pants; it's not like there's anything notable down there." Aggie tossed an apple between her hands threateningly.

_"Anyway,_" Hugh said pointedly, "That's Cole Harrison, Griffin Hale, and Sam Olsen." He pointed in turn to the blonde boy, the blue-haired boy, and the brown-haired girl.

"How come Hugh gets to make the introductions?" Sam flips a sheet of hair over her shoulder and spoons some oatmeal into her mouth. "I mean, it's not like he's got stellar social skills or something."

"It's my stunning attractiveness." Hugh ran a hand through his shaggy red hair. "If Quincy wasn't my brother, he'd totally be attracted to me."

"Sorry." Quincy winked at his brother. "But you're not my type."

"You're too much of a girl for him." Aggie said through a mouthful of egg. "Quincy's into manly men."

"I assure you I am very much male." Hugh leaned over the table flirtatiously, staring straight at Aggie. "Want me to prove it?"

Aggie leaned back. "Depends. Got anything to prove?"

"As much as I love watching the attraction between you guys, and believe me, I do," Quincy interjected. "Because it totally reminds me of the Ridley/Link relationship and I love that. But I feel like we're neglecting our newest member."

"True dat, true dat." Hugh nodded vigorously. "So, Jeni, pink-hair, Jenarooni, Jeni-of-the-pink, Jenikins. What's your deal?"

Jeni raised an eyebrow.

"You don't get relegated to us unless you have some sort of musical talent and you've pissed off someone important. So what'd you do?"

Jeni smiled slightly. "I draw."

"And….?"

"And I might've decked Olga in the face."

Six collective jaws dropped. "Is that why you look like a walking bruise?"

Sam scrunched up her face. "Wow, Hughie. Do you know what tact is?"

"She beat the crap out of me, so I probably do look like hell." Jeni shrugged. "What about you?"

"Beck plays the snot out of the piano but has an irritating habit of refusing to loan notes out, Sam and her violin have some kind of freaky blood connection which may or may not be the reason she refused to date some guys that apparently have a lot of influence here."

"Grayson's crowd." Beck sneered.

"True, true, they're all dickheads." Hugh continued. "But anyway, Cole plays the bass and got into a couple bad situations, some stuff that the Powers That Be didn't really appreciate. Aggie's a calligraphic miracle…but she's Aggie, and that's enough to get her put on all sorts of watch lists. As for my loyal brother and I, well, we draw. I did Aggie's tattoo. And of course, wherever I go, hot chicks follow and apparently I flirted with the wrong one. Quincy…Quincy's Quincy. That's enough for most people."

"What is it with the people here?" Jeni snapped, her head pounding venomously. "I didn't ask to get sent to a KGB breeding ground!"

"Yeah, well, you did anyway." Aggie snapped back. "You're one of us now. Deal with it."

"And with that," Cole said tentatively, "I'm pretty sure the art bell is about to go off."

Aggie stood up and slung her bag and Hugh's satchel over her shoulder, walking away without a backwards glance at the table nearest to the wall.

Hugh glanced meaningfully at his brother, Beck, and Cole, and with a "I told you she wants me," he bounded after her.

"C'mon, Jeni." Sam said kindly, standing up as well. . "it's time to put on a smile and brave the masses."

***O***

Kory hated her hair.

It was thick and red and beautiful, but it made it legitimately impossible to hide. It was like a stop sign on her head, signaling her location to anyone with eyes in like three miles.

It hadn't been an issue in France, where she'd had nothing to hide. Her father was a prominent politicion, her mother was a well-known humanitarian, and she, could go where she wanted when she wanted and she didn't care if people recognized her.

But now that she'd made a fool of herself over that _connard _Richard and the _imbécile_ Headmaster was making her tutor with him, she wanted nothing more than to disappear.

"Hey, Red!"

She knew that voice, but she prayed silently that she was mistaken and that it wasn't who she thought it was as she increased her pace.

"Kory!"

Faster, faster….

A large hand clamped down on her shoulder and she inwardly cursed.

"What do you want, Reechard?" She said, annoyed with him and with her stupid French accent.

"Take it easy," He said calmly, a concerned look in his eye"I just wanted to know If you got the letter too."

"I did. What of eet?" Kory began walking again, hoping to lose him. But years of being on the soccer team meant that he had no problem keeping pace with her.

"Well, we're going to be spending a lot of time together, right?" He went on. "Here, let me take your bag."

"Unfortunately, and I'm perfectly capable of carrying it myself." Her accent was getting thicker by the minute.

He grabbed the bag from her and slung it over his shoulder. "You know, you could try to be nice. I know it's not either of our cups of tea, but we're stuck with it."

Kory was endlessly grateful that he'd taken her bag because she was struck by the desire to hit him with it. He stared at her, seriousness and amusement flickering in his eyes. "Kory, I know you're still probably hurt over how things went down last year, and I'm sorry. But I can't change it and neither can you, so maybe we should just let it go."

Kory brushed a strand of escaping red hair back behind her headband and glared up at him. "Per'aps you 'ould be able to, but it was not your heart that was broken, was it?"

True regret appeared in his eyes, and Kory almost felt bad. Richard wasn't as bad as some of his friends; he was actually quite gentlemanly, when it came down to it. He was generally quiet and brooding, less of a playboy than Roy or Garth, and Kory knew she was using underhanded tactics by making him feel guilty.

And then Roy strode up to them and Richard became a different person.

"Grayson!" Roy bellowed, clapping him on the back. "Getting music tips from your freshman?"

All traces of regret, amusement, or anything other than arrogance left Richard's eyes. "Music tips? She understands music?"

Kory flushed, indignation flowing through her. Of course she understood music! She was_ French_, after all!

"Course she does, Richie." Roy raised an eyebrow. "She wrote you a song, didn't she?"

"'Ow do you know about that?!" Kory screeched, resisting the urge to strange them both.

"You didn't exactly try to hide it." Roy smirked.

Kory blushed furiously as Richard raised an eyebrow, staring at her quizzically.

"You wrote me a song?"

"Oh, that's not just it. She wrote you a song in your favorite key. E-flat major, right?" Roy laughed. "Your freshman had it bad, Richie."

"I-Eet ees not what eet seems-" Kory stammered.

"You sure?" Richard asked, crossing his arms. "Because it seems like you're a bonafide stalker extraordinaire."

Kory bit back angry tears. "You-you _connards_!"

"Speak. ENGLISH." Roy taunted her.

"YOU DICKHEADS!" Kory screeched, grabbing her bag rather forcefully from Richard and running down the hallway to her third period English class.

Richard watched her go, guilt rising in his stomach. Roy laughing in his ear didn't help.

"You're a dick, Roy," He muttered.

"Aw, take the tampon out of your butt, Richie, you're just as bad." Roy clapped him on the back again. "Now c'mon; Vic wants us to check out Kitten's new skirt. Apparently it's shorter than Napoleon."

Richard hesitated but eventually followed him, still feeling guilty and still seeing the horrified, embarrassed look in Kory's eyes.

***O* **

"So, how was your first day of class?" Wally said conversationally as Jeni stalked by where he sat in front of her eighth period Calculus class.

"I look like crap, I feel like I've just been repeatedly bulldozed by a monster truck, Mr. Wilson is definitely a closet pedophile, I'm pretty sure my math teacher cares more about his boyfriend than our class, and Dr. Light almost burned my eyebrows off in science." Jeni didn't lose a beat as she strode on, Wally jogging at her side.

"Make any new friends?"

Jeni glared at him. "Maybe."

He beamed. "Good! You have comrades! Maybe together, we'll be able to introduce you to social skills!"

"You're so weird." Jeni glared at him. "Are you on drugs?"

"The only thing intoxicating me is you, Jeni," Wally said, pasting a sappy look on his face. "Now go drop your stuff at your dorm and throw on something durable."

"Why the hell would I do that?" Jeni turned to face him, the sunlight glittering off of her silver tattoos.

" 'Cause, my dear Jeni," Wally looped his arm through hers. "The real fun's about to begin."

Jeni raised an eyebrow.

"Remember how I got blacklisted for 'disturbing the peace'?" Wally smirked at her. "What I'm about to show you? It's the reason why."

***O* **

"See, if you use ze reciprocal and simplify the problem before you multiply, you save yourzelf a lot of work," Kory said kindly, erasing the boy's mistakes with her pencil as she explained.

"Oh!" The boy, a seventh grader named Jack, beamed. "Thanks!"

Kory ruffled Jack's hair and smiled. "It was a pleasure."

Turning to the next student, a girl called Marigold, she was hit by a wave of cold air and Old Spice cologne.

She straightened and glared. "You're late, Grayson."

"Grayson?" Richard hung his coat carelessly on the back of the nearest chair. "Uh-oh. Who peed in your orange juice?"

"You know exactly why I am upset, you_ fils immature de pute._" She hissed.

"Not in front of the children, Kory," His eyes twinkled devilishly at her. She huffed and turned back to Marigold. As she patiently taught the little girl how to convert fractions, decimals, and percents, she caught Richard looking at her broodingly almost every time she glanced up.

"See, Mari, seven times four is twenty-six, so seven-twenty-fifths as a decimal is .26." She said gently.

".28." Richard said clearly from across the classroom.

Kory glared at him. "What?"

"Seven times four is twenty-eight, not twenty-six." Richard's eyes glinted with amusement. "Check your math skills."

Kory glared at him, her mouth gaping a little before flipping her hair over her shoulders and pointedly ignoring him. When the bell rang half an hour later, she almost cried out of sheer joy.

"Thank you, Kory," Marigold beamed as she left. Kory smiled back, gathering her things and reaching for her calculator, only to have a large hand take it before she could.

"Give me back my calculator, _salaud_," Kory growled at him, angrier as she could remember ever being before.

_"Pas avant que nous parlons,_" Richard spoke back tauntingly.

Kori groaned. "And you speak French too. Iz zere anyzing you can't do?"

"Well, I'm an jerk when I'm with my friends," Richard sighed. "I'm sorry."

Kory stared at him coldly. "I am zure you are, but zat does not change anything."

He stared back at her, conflicting emotions in his eyes.

And then he looked away and sighed. "Of course it doesn't._ Sed quantum volo prorsus fecit._"

And with that, he tossed her calculator at her and walked away.

***O* **

_"__What IS this place?" Jeni said in awe, taking in the scene with wide eyes. _

_"__This is the resistance." Kole smiled slightly. "I know that sounds all cliché and spy-movie esque, but it's true." _

_Wally slung an arm around her shoulders. "Welcome to the Underground, Jeni." _

_*****_**O* **

**A.N. Griffin: Review for me, loves, or I'll get very cross. **

**Izzy and Jay-Jay: *swoon* **

**Isaac: *grumpily* he's not that good... **

**Izzy: *hits Isaac over the head with a dictionary* REVIEW! **


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